June Kempf-Who do you trust?

I lead a group of local writers who meet once a month to read and critique each other's unpublished works. Some have been together for over 12 years and have become close friends. They make copies of their presentations - 1500 words or less and pass them around the table, so each member can follow along. But when finished with the reading and the listening and the critiquing, each participant grabs their copies back. They count them and surreptitiously tuck their stories away in their protective folders - lest someone in the group steal their creation; plagiarizing every precious word put down on paper. They don't completely trust each other.

I remember when I first started taking writing seriously, harboring those same fears. In all honesty, these fears are fueled by an inflated ego that led me to believe that my creation was so unique, so brilliant ,so valuable; that every other writer setting eyes on it, was bent on robbing my precious copy; claiming all the fame and fortune that was mine - for themselves. So I kept my treasures to myself - out of harm's way; until I realized that none of that hidden away material will ever be seen or appreciated. By keeping my work locked in a sock, it would stagnate in its own cocoon, never to burst forth and fly on its own. It was safe and secure - immune from the dreaded rejection slip - the ultimate fear. "OMG not everyone appreciates my masterpiece! " On the other hand I could never hope to enjoy the thrill of seeing my name in print either. For me, the need to get my story outtrumped the security of safekeeping.

Jackie James-YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD TO GET PUBLISHED

In 1985 when I was forty-nine, I decided I wanted to write a book. I wrote some of it but my job and life took over so I put it aside. Finally in 2003 I retired moved to Alabama. I did some writing and then in 2006 I moved to Arizona where I now live. In 2008 I joined the Tucson Saguaro Chapter of RWA. It is a great Chapter and I enjoyed meeting other authors like myself who were only beginning.

In 2010 I started doing the Chapter’s monthly program called Book-In-A-Week. That year I wrote over 1,000 pages. It was fun and in that time I started several novellas. I also worked on the book I started in 1985. In October of 2010 I entered a contest sponsored by Keith Publications and won. The prize was a contract to publish my entry.

I write under the pseudonym of Jackie James and Masquerade was released on Kindle in November of 2011, my very first published book. I was 75. In 2012 two more of my books, Love Sport and Vengeance were published. In 2013 Ghost of Walker’s Run and an Anthology called Persephone’s Song a compilation of stories by six different authors was published. My contribution is called Defeating Evil. These books are all available on Kindle.

Andrew Richardson-From Slashers to Erotica – discovering new genres

I’ve been writing for years and I can honestly say I love every second of it.It started simply a hobby, because I wanted something to do while my young son was asleep and my wife was working an evening shift.

I first wrote bad horror shorts which were awful in too many ways to list.I never overcame the problem of not being able to plot short stories very well, but at least they taught me the basics of learning technique.Writing shorts also helped me develop a thick skin following rejections and less-than-flattering comments from critique groups.

Despite my lack of success I took a chance and decided to write a novel, mainly because as a reader I prefer novels to short stories.

To my surprise I found novels suited my style, and my first one – a violent Celtic-themed story - was (also to my surprise) accepted.I was flushed by this success and didn’t look back.I wrote more violent horror novels, thinking I would soon make millions.I didn’t.

Scott M. Baker-Why do I write?

It’s not for the money or the fame. Those who write professionally know all too well the harsh reality that only a handful of us will be able to make a full time career out of writing. Almost every writer I know has a day job, and only a select few make enough money at it to make writing their primary income.

I do it because I love writing. Or more precisely, I love telling a story.

I’ve been that way all my life. As a kid, I used to watch movies and then spend days imagining how I would make the movie even better, which usually involved more monsters and more explosions and more destruction (not too different than what I do today). As a high school history teacher I used to tell the story of civilization, offering my students a narrative of the people and events that shaped history rather than just reciting a list of dates and treaty names that they would forget five minutes after the test. As an officer with the CIA, I used to piece together and release intelligence reports that told the story of our enemies’ efforts against the United States (some in the government would say that is when I began writing fiction).

Nancy S. Reece-WRITERS AND PUBLISHERS – Our Other Family Relationship

First and foremost, congratulations to Keith Publishing on their fourth anniversary. It is a testimony to Mary and her crew of the labor and dedication they have poured into this. Because of Keith, many new voices are being heard / read and that is always a good thing.

What most readers don’t realize is that publishing isn’t just the end result of writing. It’s a relationship, between the writer, the publisher, and the readers. Each time a writer sits down in front of their keyboard, the person they are writing for isn’t themselves. We writers are closet extroverts. We set our thoughts, dreams, imagination, down on paper hoping that someone will understand those feelings and interpret them the way the writer intended.

Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? Most writers would deny it vehemently and tell you they write for themselves. That’s only our insecurities talking out loud. If we were writing for ourselves it would be a journal, not a manuscript. But even the most timid among us want to find a publisher. Someone who not only understands the words and emotions the writer has poured into their book, but sees the road for sharing those words with others. That’s what publishers do – they bring our cherished children into adolescence and eventually into the real world.

Cassandra Ulrich-Full Circle

Although I wrote short stories for class in grade school, poetry was my main form of artistic expression throughout high school and college. Many years later, after switching out of an extremely stressful job, I began writing stories again. This time, however, they were somewhat longer than short stories. Writing relaxed me after a long day of technical work. I couldn’t wait to see what my mind would come up with next, and it didn’t disappoint. My challenge became how to shut it off so I could get work done. <smile> Music is a huge catalyst, so to take a break from new story ideas, I must avoid listening to songs. That’s very hard to do considering I sing in two choirs. As a result, I’ve started many stories, some further along than others. In fact, I received contracts for two of them (“If It Kills Me” and “Danny R.O.S.S.”) this year, which is a huge accomplishment.